Many people come to South Padre Island but they find flying into the airport closest to be quite pricy. Using Corpus Christi International Airport has become an option that people are using for tourism and for business. It is much bigger than using Brownsville Airport or Harlingen International that is closer to the Mexican border.

Flights started coming to Corpus Christi around 1935 but it was not until the 1950’s that the airport started to see nonstop flights to major city in the region like San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. However, it was in 1977 that a major airline too interest in the city when Southwest Airlines started to connect it to Dallas and the rest of their routes. A few years later, United and American join them in competing in the local market for passengers.

This led to a major build out of the terminal in 2002 that includes six gates across some 160,000 square foot. This is nice many of these secondary airlines around the country are often very small. It is nice to see one that is built with room to grow.

They have active plans to try and restore flights to Mexico City and it has been approved by the US Department of Transportation. It has been in the works for at least the last dozen years and nothing has came to reality.

Using the terminal at Corpus Christi International Airport

As stated, the airport has a new terminal built in 2002 and it is quite large for the amount of traffic that the city gets. It currently houses six gates just a few miles outside the city.

Airline

Location

American Airlines

Dallas

Southwest Airlines

Houston

United Airlines

Houston

One thing about the airport is that the weather can lead to many flights to be cancelled so you might have a delayed flight or have to wait for the next flight out of the airport. This is not like daily but it does seem to happen according to readers at Last Kodiak.

This is not the end of the world as the Corpus Christi International Airport does offer the passenger free wifi that is unlimited (no time limit) and it is pretty much through the whole building currently.

There is also a USO lounge on the second floor for military personel. I have not used it but I have heard some great things about it from people who have used it. There is military installments close by around Corpus Christi so military is not uncommon to see.

The airport closes down an half hour after the 11:00pm flight from Dallas so if you have that 5am flight, there is no way to spend the night at the airport so you can check in. You would have to spend the night over at the Whataburger close by. According to the director of Security, they do open the terminal at 3:30 in the morning.

Besides that, just the normal airport security rules that would apply at any airport apply. While these airports are easier to work with, the laws do remain the same and must be follow strictly.

All things considered, the terminal is pretty impressive for a regional airport.